Missile Defense Agency - Potential Enemies of The United States

Potential Enemies of The United States

Ballistic missile systems using advanced liquid- or solid- propellant propulsion are becoming more mobile, accurate and capable of striking targets over longer distances and are proliferating worldwide.

  • Iran currently has short- and medium- range missiles with improved lethality and more accurate guidance systems. Iran’s launch of a medium range, solid fuel ballistic missile demonstrates its ability to hit targets in Israel and southern Europe. Iran also successfully launched the Safir Space Launch Vehicle on Feb 2, 2009. It was then speculated that development of an ICBM was not far behind. Intelligence reports that a missile could be built sometime between 2010 and 2015 perhaps using help from Russian and North Korean technology.
  • North Korea currently deploys a No Dong ballistic missile capable of hitting Japan and South Korea, and is developing a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) which can reach Guam and the Aleutian Islands. They also successfully demonstrated the staging and separation technologies required to launch a Taepo-Dong 2 ICBM which has the capability to reach the United States.
  • Syria also may pose a threat for Short Range Ballistic Missiles as it acquires equipment from North Korea and Iran.

Read more about this topic:  Missile Defense Agency

Famous quotes containing the words united states, potential, enemies, united and/or states:

    “What the United States does best is to understand itself. What it does worst is understand others.”
    —Carlos Fuentes (b. 1928)

    “Laughing at someone else is an excellent way of learning how to laugh at oneself; and questioning what seem to be the absurd beliefs of another group is a good way of recognizing the potential absurdity of many of one’s own cherished beliefs.”
    —Gore Vidal (b. 1925)

    “The chief internal enemies of any state are those public officials who betray the trust imposed upon them by the people.”
    —Dalton Trumbo (1905–1976)

    “Places where he might live and die and never hear of the United States, which make such a noise in the world,—never hear of America, so called from the name of a European gentleman.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “Colonel [John Charles] Fremont. Not a good picture, but will do to indicate my politics this year. For free States and against new slave States.”
    —Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)